Carpet-sweeper



V UNITED STATES PATENT OFFIcE.

MELVILIIE R. BISSELL, OF GRAND RAPIDS, MICHIGAN.

CARPET-SWEEPER.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 239,924, dated April 12, 1881.

Application filed'J'uly 18, 1879.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MELVILLE R. BISSELL,

of the city of Grand Rapids, county of Kent,

and State of Michigan, have invented certain new and useful Improvementsin Oarpet-Sweepers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to that class of carpetsweepers in which a rotary brush is driven by frictional contact of its shaft, or a bearing formed thereon, with one or more drivingwheels, which are caused to rotate by contact with the carpet or floor when the sweeper is in use. Its object is to secure an efficient frictional contact between the driving-wheels and I 5 the brush-shaft, or a friction bearing formed thereon, and to provide for the ready removal and replacement of the brush from the top of the casing. v In the accompanying drawings, Figure 1 is a top view of a carpet-sweeper provided with my improvement, and having the usual casing provided with a bail, rotary brush, and dustreceptacles, the cover being removed. Fig. 2 is a transverse section on line mm, Fig. 1. Fig. 3 is a section in a plane indicated by line y y, Figs. 1 and 2. Fig. dis a detached view of the. bearing-plate of the brush-shaft. Fig. 5 is a top view of one of the wheels, its housing and spring. The casing A is divided by a partition, B, into two compartments or chambers, G and D. The roller-shaft E has its hearings in the opposite end Walls of the casin g, passing through an opening in the partition B, and is provided with an enlargement or frictional bearing, E, within the chamber 0.

In a vertical groove in the inner surface of the casing-wall, which forms the outer side wall of chamber 0, is arranged a vertically-ad- 40 justable bearing-plate, F, secured by screws passing through longitudinal slots f, and pro vided preferably with a transverse open-ended slot, G, the walls of which form the bearing of one of the brush-shaft journals. The casing is provided with a hinged lid or cover, in the ordinary manner, (not shown in the drawings,) and whenthe lid or cover is opened the brush may be inserted at the top opening, one of its shaft-journals inserted in a hole in a suitable plate secured to the outer end wallof chamber D, and its other journal slipped laterally into the transverse slot G of plate F. When its journals are thus placed in their bearings the enlargement or frictional bearing E of the shaft lies between thedriving-wheels RH and in contact with the peripheries thereof, these peripheries being preferably faced with india- "rubber or similar noiseless friction producing material. The enlargement E may be also so faced, and in such case the facing may be omitted from the wheels. The pressure of the driving-wheel upon the brushshaft keeps the journal of said shaft in the slot G, and the yielding of the spring K permits said wheel to move'backward out of the way, to allow the shaft to be brought to such a position that its journal will enter said slot when the brush is to be placed in position.

The wheels H H, one or both, are mounted in housings formed by arms I I, which are con- 7:: nected by thepins or pivots which pass through the hubs of the Wheels and form their axles, and are also connected at their ends, which extend beyond the peripheries of the wheels, by means of a suitable cross-bar, h. To this cross-bar is firmly secured a leaf spring, K, which is bent downward behind the same and projects asuitable distance therefrom. When in use the arms I I fit into horizontal guidegrooves L L, formed in the inner surfaces of the side walls of the chamber 0, and the tail or face end of l the spring K bears against the side wall of the casing, its projection and tension being so adjusted that it automaticallyforces the housing or arms I I inward, and thus 8 causes the periphery of the driving-wheel to come in contact with that of the enlargement or frictional bearing E of the brush-shaft, so that when the wheel is rotated a rotary motion will be transmitted therefrom to the brush- 9o shaft. The pressure upon the housing being continuous, the wear of the friction surfaces is automatically compensated, and efficient working contact always maintained.

Instead of the leaf-spring K, a spiral or any other suitable spring may be used to force the housing toward the brush-shaft.

I do not claim the combination, in a carpetsweeper, of afriction-roll, a drive-wheel, and a sliding block in which said wheel is journaled, Ioo

2. In combination with the casin gand brushshaft of a carpet-sweeper, one or more wheels supported in working position by journals on each of their sides in suitable bearings which are connected with said casing, and a spring arranged to move said bearings laterally back and forth with respect to the brush-shaft without retarding or in the least interfering with the free rotation of said wheel or wheels.

MELVILLE R. BISSELL.

Witnesses:

REUBEN W. POWERS, N. A. EARLE. 

